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D.C. Leaders to Celebrate Statue Relocation

The skyline of Washington, DC, including the US Capitol building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and National Mall, is seen from the air, January 29, 2010. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — A statue of Frederick Douglass will soon be moved to the United States Capitol alongside statues of luminaries from the 50 states, and District of Columbia leaders are planning to celebrate the move.

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the district in Congress, will host an event Monday evening to call attention to the statue’s upcoming relocation.

Every state has two statues in the Capitol, but the district’s statues of Douglass and architect Pierre L’Enfant are placed at One Judiciary Square, a city government building. Last year, Congress approved a resolution sponsored by Norton to move the Douglass statue.

A longtime district resident, Douglass was a former slave who became an abolitionist leader. Norton has asked Senate leaders to dedicate the statue this month in celebration of Black History Month.